Root & Rebound Seeks Reentry Attorney 

Focused on the Transition from Incarceration into Community

About Root & Rebound: 

Root & Rebound (R&R) is a national reentry advocacy nonprofit, whose mission is to help people navigate reentry and reduce the harms perpetuated by mass incarceration. Root & Rebound provides holistic reentry legal services across all of California, with offices in Fresno and Oakland, and staff in Los Angeles as well. We provide legal know-your-rights information and individual services on a wide variety of collateral consequences of a conviction including getting ID and voting, conditions of parole and probation, and employment and housing rights as they relate to an arrest or conviction history. 

Employment Status: This is a full-time, exempt role, reporting to the Deputy Director of Northern California Programs. 

Commitment: Full-time position, starting June, 2023.

Location: R&R’s home office is based in Oakland, CA; hybrid office-remote. 

About the Reentry Attorney Position: R&R seeks a Staff Attorney to provide reentry legal support, primarily to those who receive intake through R&R’s reentry legal hotline. Clients will include people coming home from prison statewide and people  throughout their reentry journeys, looking for strong and time-sensitive support. 

The reentry hotline operates almost every Friday of the year and is R&R’s largest intake valve, serving well over one thousand justice-impacted people each year in all stages of their reentry journeys. The attorney in this role will work with a wide variety of people across the entire state, to help empower them to meet their reentry goals and overcome legal barriers in rebuilding their lives, often supporting people through resolving crisis situations. 

The Attorney will carry a caseload of ongoing clients with a focus on reentry legal needs arising shortly after incarceration in state prison; staff R&R’s Friday reentry legal hotline; serve as “attorney of the day” for non-hotline days; and recruit, train, and supervise law student volunteers on the hotline.

Responsibilities & Duties: The Reentry Hotline & Direct Services Attorney’s responsibilities & duties include, but are not limited to, the following:

Direct Legal Services (75%):

• Act as “Attorney of the Day” (AOD) for approximately 12 hours per week, taking urgent calls from people across the state who call in on non-hotline days;
• Conduct holistic legal intakes, through R&R’s Friday reentry legal hotline and AOD shifts, to assess callers’ reentry legal needs and develop appropriate legal services plans;
• Carry and independently manage a client caseload of approximately 40 clients at a time; 
• Develop Know Your Rights fact sheets about relevant reentry legal issues and update our current educational resources, as needed and as time permits; and
• Maintain necessary records for effective teamwork on cases, grant proposals, reports, and audits. 

Hotline Program Management (20%):

• Facilitate legal volunteers to support the hotline program;
  • Identify gaps in HL intake needs;
  • Work with other attorneys to train/supervise volunteers/law clerks;
  • Coordinate shifts to ensure coverage and non-overlap of volunteers/phone lines;
  • Develop system to ensure volunteer/clerk HL work is recorded and communicated with R&R staff;
• Supervise assigned volunteers and clerks to ensure consistent, high quality and timely services for all callers, regardless of who answers the call; and
• Elevate the reentry barriers faced by our hotline program clients to create structural and policy changes that advance second chance opportunities and social justice.

Support the Fundraising efforts as needed: (5%)

• Represent Root & Rebound in BSCC (primarily funder for this role) meetings related to this role;
• Maintain necessary records in Root & Rebound’s client management system for grant reporting and audits; and
• Support Development, Policy, Communications, and Storytelling projects as needed.

Qualifications: The ideal candidate has the following qualifications:

• Licensed attorney, and in good standing, in California.
• At least 2 years of experience practicing law;.
• Ability to manage a demanding case load, balance case work with additional responsibilities, and effectively prioritize responsibilities; 
• Ability to communicate and work effectively with diverse individuals, organizations, and communities, including people of color, immigrants, non-English speakers, people with mental health challenges, law students, service providers, government employees, community partners, and elected officials;
• Demonstrated dedication to social, racial, and economic justice; 
• Curious and self-directed with an ability to anticipate what needs to be done.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Proficiency in Spanish strongly preferred;
• Training or experience working in the legal fields of reentry, prisoner rights, criminal defense, or other public interest; and
• Formerly incarcerated and/or systems-impacted individuals strongly encouraged to apply.

Compensation & Benefits: This role is a full-time, exempt position, with a competitive salary between $80,000-85,000 commensurate with experience.  Employees who are fluent in Spanish receive an additional $,2000/year. Employment benefits at R&R include:

• Medical, vision and dental care;
• Employer-sponsored 403(b) retirement plan;
• Internal and external professional development opportunities;
• Three (3) weeks of paid time off per year, plus holiday closures, which includes additional office closure around the December holidays and seven (7) federal holidays, Juneteenth, and Indigenous Peoples’ Day; and
• Sabbatical Program for eligible employees after five (5) years of service.

Conflict of Interest Notice: R&R encourages current and former clients to apply to join our team. However, it is a conflict of interest for R&R to provide legal services to our own employees. We will do our best to ensure that any current clients who are hired by R&R have other legal representation prior to beginning employment. 

Application Instructions: To apply for this position, please upload a resume, cover letter, one short writing sample (max. 5 pages), and at least three references (explaining your professional relationship and including their contact information) to this form. Incomplete applications will not be reviewed. Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis until the position is filled. No phone calls, please.

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Root & Rebound is an equal opportunity employer and strongly encourages applications from all qualified individuals, including formerly incarcerated and/or system-involved individuals.  We look at each applicant’s full experience and consider each applicant.  We encourage people from all backgrounds and experiences to apply. Individuals with lived experience of the criminal justice system and its impacts are strongly encouraged to apply. We depend on a diverse team to accomplish our mission!